Dianne Feinstein successor Laphonza Butler shares her vision for California’s future, avoids question on 2024 Senate election

Butler appeared at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit on Monday, in her first public look since taking the Senate seat.

Butler advised Emma Hinchliffe, senior author, about her plans for California—and averted questions in regards to the 2024 Senate race.

Watch the video above or learn the total transcript beneath.

Ellie Austin: I’m very honored to have with us this night, the latest member of the US Senate. As you all know, Senator Laphonza Butler was sworn in simply final week to fill the seat left by Dianne Feinstein, the late Dianne Feinstein now, Senator Butler clearly has very huge footwear to fill, however she comes with an extremely spectacular resume reflecting her expertise serving the folks of California to call just a few of her remedies. She has a protracted historical past in working within the state’s politics. She’s a well known strategist in excessive stakes campaigns. She led California’s largest labor union for over a decade. And not too long ago she served as president of Emily’s Listing, a corporation that works to assist pro-choice Democratic ladies candidates. And together with her appointment to the US Senate, she’s making historical past as a result of Senator Butler is the primary brazenly lesbian Black senator to serve in Congress. And he or she can be the one Black lady at present serving within the Senate. Senator Butler joins us tonight for a dialog with Fortune’s Emma Hinchliffe 

Emma Hinchliffe: Hiya, Senator, thanks a lot for being right here with us.

Laphonza Butler: Good night Fortune.

Emma Hinchliffe: So final time you had been with us at an MPW occasion, which was not that way back, you had been the president of Emily’s Listing working to elect Democratic ladies. In the present day you’re right here as a US senator. Was this in your imaginative and prescient board?

Laphonza Butler: Not on my imaginative and prescient board not on my bingo card. Not within the wildest desires of my ancestors. Did I ever consider that I would be the third Black lady to serve in the US.

Emma Hinchliffe: So, Senator, are you able to stroll us via the previous week? When did you get the decision? Did you see it coming? Did you contemplate saying no.

Laphonza Butler: I don’t consider that anyone may think about what the final six days of my life have been like I bought the decision on a Saturday, I used to be doing my work for Emily’s Listing on the house of certainly one of our supporters and neighborhood members in Colorado and the governor known as on that Saturday. You all may recall at the moment, simply final weekend, we had been going through an imminent authorities shutdown. And the governor didn’t have an entire lot of time for me to suppose via and name, there have been no cellphone a pal choice. And, however I used to be capable of converse to my spouse and we had been honored to be requested to serve within the seat that Dianne Feinstein held. When you concentrate on what she provided to this nation for girls in management, whether or not in public workplace or in enterprise, elevating her hand to steer in a time of disaster. It’s not one thing that you simply say no to. In order a lot as I’ve loved immensely my work at Emily’s Listing. It was a possibility for me to once more increase my hand at a second of disaster for our nation. I don’t liken it myself to Senator Feinstein. However it was a second that I used to be that was put in entrance of me to steer and my household. We selected to boost our hand.

Emma Hinchliffe: Yeah. You recognize, let’s speak about Senator Feinstein’s legacy. What elements of it are you already know, most targeted on what’s in your thoughts as you step into this position? What do you wish to carry ahead with you?

Laphonza Butler: Look, if I attempt to measure my service to Senator Feinstein’s I fail. There may be a lot that she has dropped at California into the nation. Folks don’t know that the Amber Alert is Senator Dianne Feinstein. Proper. So, the methods wherein she has at all times thought in regards to the security and safety of our communities, the longer term for younger folks, whether or not it’s via transportation or via her dedication to water, the water disaster in our state, and the atmosphere, her creation and in fixed combat for our federal parks Joshua Tree, like all of that, is Senator Dianne Feinstein. And so, I’m not so audacious as to consider that I can contribute as a lot because the senator did in her a long time of service. My life has at all times been an instance for girls and women and their financial empowerment. And I wish to proceed that, whether or not as a labor chief preventing for larger wages and elevating them serving to to boost the minimal wage and get sick days and pay day off for caregivers on this on this state who didn’t have it as of 2016. Or working on the work of doing the exercise of Emily’s Listing or my time at Airbnb, I really feel like I’ve had the chance to serve the financial empowerment of girls, the political energy of girls. And that is one other alternative for me to try this. And to do throughout the spirit of Senator Feinstein.

Emma Hinchliffe: Wonderful. Properly, you already know, as we heard, you’re solely the third Black lady to ever serve within the Senate and the primary brazenly homosexual Black lady to serve within the Senate. What do these milestones imply to you personally? How do you’re feeling about them?

Laphonza Butler: Right here it’s, I solely know learn how to be a Black lady.I don’t know learn how to be anything. And so, I don’t know learn how to lead another means. And so, I feel what these milestones actually imply for me, hopefully serve for example, for different Black ladies, different lesbians, others who simply wish to stay their life their very own means. After I hope it means and provides slightly little bit of semblance of is simply do you?

Emma Hinchliffe: Completely and relatedly not simply the primary you’re additionally at present and solely the one Black lady within the US Senate proper now. There’s additionally the Vice President, however you’re the one senator. You recognize, what does that really feel like for you as you step on to the Senate flooring?

Laphonza Butler: I can’t say the identical factor I stated earlier than can I ? It’s it isn’t misplaced on me that there was Carol Moseley Braun, there was Kamala Harris. And now there’s Laphonza Butler. You recognize, I used to be sworn in. I used to be sworn in simply final Tuesday, and my mom celebrated her seventieth birthday this yr. And that in August, and I assumed I used to be doing an enormous deal like taking her on our first mom daughter solely I’ve two older brothers. Our first mom daughter journey simply the 2 of us. We’re going to love to knock these 70 issues out mother. After which I bought to see her within the state capital, within the US Capitol for the primary time in her whole life. I bought to see her with Senator Cory Booker. I bought to see her with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood. I wish to name it, you’re residing your greatest MSNBC life woman.

And all of us like I grew up in a small city in Mississippi, I went to a traditionally Black faculty. I by no means thought that the day that I’d acknowledge and see pleasure in my mom’s eyes can be when she was strolling as much as shake the palms of the vp who was swearing her daughter her youngest little one in because the third Black lady to serve on this historic chamber and so it means loads to me. It means loads to my household, I feel. I feel it would imply slightly bit to my daughter who was solely 9 and selected to decide on to not come to the swearing in as a result of she wished to go tenting

Emma Hinchliffe: Did she have enjoyable?

Laphonza Butler: It was her first time with the ability to go tenting with out her dad and mom having to go.

Emma Hinchliffe: And experiencing her first

Laphonza Butler: I do know, proper? And I stated, So Nyla Mama’s bought this factor happening. However you’ll be able to you already know; do you wish to do that? Or do you wish to go tenting? And he or she stated” oh, no, I’m going to go tenting” I stated “properly, the Vice President goes to be there” She stated, “Properly, inform her I stated”

Emma Hinchliffe: That’s unbelievable.

Laphonza Butler: I hope it means one thing to younger women who perhaps usually are not my daughter, however I hope it’s a demonstration of what’s attainable. And after we can think about, collectively and even after we can’t, there’s extra chance for us. In order that’s my hope.

Emma Hinchliffe: Properly, thanks a lot, Senator. So, Dianne Feinstein was 90 years outdated, you’re a lot youthful than that. Are you fearful about you already know, the getting older management in politics? And do you suppose that is the course that we must be moving into?

Laphonza Butler: Which course?

Emma Hinchliffe: A youthful course?

Laphonza Butler: Properly, I, as was talked about within the earlier speak, I don’t suppose that we now have a alternative however to go in a youthful course. However I’ll say, look, we’re at a time, I feel the place the reward for me is to have been capable of study from Senator Feinstein, the reward from me has been capable of see, Speaker Pelosi has magnificent management. I feel the chance for leaders of my technology is, so see how management is on show, and to study the entire instruments and kind of methods of the commerce and be capable of hear very clearly, to what’s being communicated from generations that come after me, I’ve at all times kind of considered my, on the cusp of Gen X, millennials kind of nature and actual accountability is to be a transmission invoice. And so is each at each flip and each evolution of management, there’s at all times going to be a passing of the baton. At Emily’s Listing, I used to be capable of obtain that baton from Ellen Malcolm, who handed it to Stephanie Schriock, who handed it to me the place I used to be additionally the primary Black lady to serve and the management of Emily’s Listing. And so, is that this a course that we must be moving into? Completely. We are able to’t be for illustration and inclusion with out illustration and inclusion. And we should always take the chance to study from those that have led earlier than us in order that we will do higher the subsequent time round.

Emma Hinchliffe: Yeah, you already know, so you’re becoming a member of the US Senate at what may very well be known as a tumultuous time, from the specter of shutdowns to now outbreak of battle in Israel. You recognize, what do you’re feeling like you’ll be able to carry to this second as you step into this position expertise working throughout the aisle getting issues executed with simply a lot occurring in our nation and on the earth?

Laphonza Butler: Yeah, I feel it’s a fantastic, nice query. I’ve considered this loads when the governor reached out to me. And I feel that my each the story of California and my expertise in it’s an providing that I can carry to management on this second, the story of California being certainly one of such nice innovation, and hope. And we perceive very a lot the financial inequality that exists in our state. Now we have some unbelievable improvements in coverage concerning the atmosphere, and electrical autos, water, transportation, fascinating pathways to the longer term. And because the image of hope in areas of coverage and other people and connection, what California has taught me and my work in it has been about how do you, you already know, take what’s that one of many biggest melting pots on the earth and discover widespread floor and construct coalition. And I feel what younger folks and, you already know, all people in between senior saints, would have us to consider is that, you already know, issues are that authorities is damaged, that no person is speaking to one another. The one means that we had been capable of move a $15 minimal wage in California was via coalition. It was not simply the labor motion, but it surely was small companies. It was not simply small companies, but it surely was nonprofits, and all people performed a task in determining what may work for California. And so having had the experiences of making an attempt of burking to construct these coalitions to make vital change in one of the dynamic locations and economies within the nation and dare I say on the earth is an, I feel, an asset that I can usher in and we’ll carry to my service within the US and

Emma Hinchliffe: So, is that this a brief job for you?

Laphonza Butler: It’s our early job for me. It’s day six. I actually went via orientation, which is normally three days in like 4 hours. And so, I’ll say it’s an early job for me. However my life has been one which has been devoted to service and that’s my dedication.

Emma Hinchliffe: Properly, thanks a lot, Senator. Unbelievable to have you ever right here.